What's at stake: Reauthorization of the expired research and development tax credit; restoration of "network neutrality" on the Internet; and proposals to boost what Republicans call "competitiveness" and Democrats have styled "innovation," including changes to the controversial H-1B visa program.

What could happen: An industrial who's-who led by the National Association of Manufacturers will hold a news conference Tuesday on Capitol Hill to urge passage of the R&D tax credit during the lame duck session. Virtually every industry, not just high-tech, supports this measure. It's popular with both parties. High-tech and other business leaders will pull out the stops for this.

Network neutrality is the slogan under which Internet companies and activists have tried to get Congress to restrict telephone and cable companies from charging content providers such as Google or Yahoo different rates for delivering information to home consumers. Any action on this front will likely wait until the next Congress, when Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), friendly to network neutrality proponents, is expected to take over the House Commerce Committee from a Republican predecessor who favored phone and cable company arguments that they needed differential pricing to recoup their costs in beefing up the Internet wires to the home.

As for the H-1B visa issue and calls for more federal funding for basic research, look for Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates to urge legislative action when he speaks at the TechNet Innovation Summit at Stanford University on Wednesday.

Bottom line: There's no partisan roadblock to passing the R&D tax credit in the lame duck session -- if there's time. While the Democratic victory is a boon for proponents of net neutrality, that issue is far too complex to predict. As for the H-1B visa issue and the research funding proposals, these could be considered a bipartisanship litmus test. Incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has an "innovation agenda." President Bush's last State of the Union address talked about a "competitiveness initiative." All high-tech wants is for them to get along.